Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) will be partnering with the Virginia Department of Health and the City of Harrisonburg for an emergency services drill on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.
The event will be held at EMU’s University Commons from 1-5 p.m. Emergency personnel and vehicles will be on site to assist with the drill.
Persons interested in volunteering for the event should contact David Emswiler, campus safety coordinator, at 540-432-4396 or email emswildw@emu.edu.
For more information on the drill, contact Andrea Schrock Wenger, director of marketing and communications at 540-432-4348 or email andrea.wenger@emu.edu.
As a thirty year veteran of ems, fire-rescue, haz-mat, and law enforcement the only negative thing I can comment on is not the drill but the notification. As I understand it and have inquired about it previously, is that students and faculty and one or two numbers entered by students are notified about a campus breech of security or emergency on campus. That makes no sense when community library members on campus or a stones throw away are not notified especially if they are on one computer and a student on the adjacent computer is notified and can promptly leave or if trained report to help.(only if properly trained, and of course depending on what the emergency is) as no one except law enforcement could and should respond to god forbid an “active shooter type situation”. But former or current ems, fire, or other emergency responders could respond to help in a medical emergency pending arrival of city or county ems and fire. Leaving adult or college age persons un-notified on campus, simply because of status could be construed as an oversight or possible negligence. I value using the computer lab and other resources and I recognize it as a privilege and not a right, but being informed of an emergency or other situation on campus is a right so a responsible adult, student or not can make a decision. Respectfully submitted. mws